Trident v Paulton A 14/01/12

It was a very cold winters day for Paulton As second match of the year against strong opposition from Galmington Netball Club. Paulton took to the court knowing that this would be a very tough match against a team currently riding high in the division. Nevertheless, it was a strong start with Davina and Cheryl working well together in the circle to convert most of the passes in. Trident showed why they are one of the strongest teams by taking control of the game as the quarter wore on, intercepting a number of passes and moving the ball easily into their shooting pair. The defensive partnership of Jess and Victoria were tested to the limit as Tridents two shooters didn’t seem to miss any opportunity to shoot. But Paulton never let up the pressure as they were not going to give the home team an easy game. The quarter ended 18-9.

A change in the defence, with Laura replacing Vanessa at WD, unsettled the Trident attack early on in the second quarter and Paulton were able to settle into their game quicker than their opposition. Playing at their own pace, Paultons defence made some key interceptions and with Deb and Hayley’s neat interplay throughout the mid court, were able to convert these successfully. As a result Paulton were able to score five goals without reply. With a change to their defensive strategy, Trident were able to slow the visitors momentum and settle into their own rhythm. This allowed them to continue pushing the score away from the visitors. The quarter ended 34-21.

After a stern team talk throughout the half time break, Vanessa returned to the court at WD with Paulton knowing that they had to continue working hard to prevent Trident from running away with the victory. Unfortunately, the home team were able to pick up on the pace at which they ended the previous quarter and managed to score four without reply. Some basic errors started to creep into the Paulton game as the visitors struggled to feed the ball into their shooters and Trident took full advantage of these turnovers. However, Paulton were not giving up and continued to apply as much pressure as possible on the home team, really making their attack work hard to get the ball through their net. Tridents speed through the court also became their downfall on a number of occasions with footwork errors becoming more frequent as they tried to bring the ball down the court as quickly as possible. Paulton were able to use these turnovers to their advantage but it wasn’t enough to prevent the home team ending the quarter 52-32.

Paulton returned to the court for the final quarter with Laura back at WD and determined not to go down without a fight. Through some sharp passing and strong interplay the visitors were able to find ways through the Trident defence, with Davina and Chreryl linking up well to maintain possession following any rebounded shots and to score. Tridents quick pace in the previous quarters was starting to take its toll and, together with the relentless pressure being put on them by Paulton, the home team were struggling to feed the ball into their shooters. Paultons tenacity and overall determination to keep on fighting until the final whistle was blown led to this last quarter being their best of the game. Although the match ended 63-48, Paulton were incredibly proud of their overall performance against very strong opposition and know that they are now a better team as a result of the events of the day.

Thank you to everyone who braved the cold to provide valuable support. Player of the match, as voted by Trident, was Davina Neil (GS).